Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel Gear Checklist
This pass-through permit starts at Lembert Dome parking, walks past the Glen Aulin camp and drops into the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne toward Waterwheel Falls and Cold Canyon. Reports come mostly from hikers going the other way, up the canyon from Pate Valley, so they stress heat, rattlesnakes, a long climb and a windy night on the granite above the falls. Gear choices lean toward grippy shoes, rain cover and a tent that holds in wind.
What shapes your gear on Waterwheel Falls
- Which trailhead this permit is
- The park says to use this pass-through trailhead to camp your first night somewhere toward Waterwheel Falls or Cold Canyon, and to use the plain Glen Aulin trailhead if you want the Glen Aulin camp. This row has a quota of 12 people by lottery 24 weeks ahead and 8 more a week ahead, a vault toilet and parking at Lembert Dome.
- Why you cannot camp at Glen Aulin
- Camping within a mile of a High Sierra Camp is limited to its designated campground, so a pass-through permit has to carry beyond that one-mile limit. The Glen Aulin camp sits near 8,000 feet according to one report.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Backpacking Light
- The drop to the falls
- From the top of California Falls a 2019 day hiker counted three more miles and 900 feet of descent to Waterwheel Falls and turned back. Hikers going up the canyon from Pate Valley called it the big climbing day and reached the falls after an all-day walk and a final set of steep switchbacks.
From Ted's Outdoor World and SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls
- The falls in order
- Going down from Glen Aulin you pass Tuolumne Falls past the bridge, then White Cascade, California Falls, LeConte Falls and finally Waterwheel Falls. A late-season party found the flow lighter than guidebook photos but still beautiful, and the top of the falls was a flat granite spot with a still pond above it.
From SoCal Hiker: Day Three: Waterwheel Falls to May Lake / Ten Lakes Trail Junction and SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls
- Heat and the canyon floor
- A June 2012 party saw 80 to 70 F by day and 55 to 40 F at night, and called Pate Valley warm at night near 4,500 feet. A September party warned against making the trip in the biggest heat wave of the summer and left in the dark to find cooler hours.
From Backpacking Light and SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls
- Crowds and camps
- The area around Glen Aulin was the most crowded part of a 2012 loop, and past the May Lake junction the crowds nearly vanished. Near Pate Valley, crossing the footbridge to the north side of the river left one party alone for the night.
From Backpacking Light
What the agency requires on Waterwheel Falls
An allowed bear canister
An allowed canister is required in all areas of the Yosemite wilderness. Hanging food is illegal. Overnight the canister stays within eye and ear shot of your bed. Food lockers exist beside the five High Sierra Camps and carry the park's warning that they may be full, so they do not cover a camp farther down the canyon.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking
A wilderness permit for the right trailhead
A permit is valid only for the trip leader, trailheads, dates and group size it lists. Group size is capped at 15 people, and pets and drones are banned.
A camp outside the Glen Aulin mile
Camping within a mile of a High Sierra Camp is limited to the designated campground. Elsewhere camp on an established site on a durable surface, at least 100 feet from water and trail.
A fire plan by elevation
Campfires are allowed only in existing rings below 9,600 feet and at least 100 feet from water and trail, and every fire must be attended. The canyon in the trip reports sits between roughly 4,500 and 8,000 feet, so rings are the rule there.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Backpacking Light
A way to pack out paper
Used toilet paper and hygiene products are carried out, not buried or burned.
What hikers carry on Waterwheel Falls
Shoes with grip for stone steps and long drops
The trail down the canyon has many stone steps, and a 2019 hiker was already thinking of replacing worn boots, with both feet feeling off by the turnaround. The all-day climb from Pate Valley ends in steep switchbacks.
From Ted's Outdoor World and SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls
Rain cover and a shelter that sheds a storm
A September party sat out 30 minutes of thunder, lightning and full rain from the tent vestibule near the May Lake junction. A June 2012 party reported no rain at all, and the 2019 hiker turned back because rain threatened.
From SoCal Hiker: Day Three: Waterwheel Falls to May Lake / Ten Lakes Trail Junction, Backpacking Light and Ted's Outdoor World
A light for a pre-dawn start
The September party started the climb up the canyon while it was still dark to catch cool air. Writers on this stretch plan around heat, not around cold.
From SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls and Backpacking Light
A tent with stakes and guylines for gusts
Wind rose after dark at the top of Waterwheel Falls and pushed the tent around so sleep was poor. A June 2012 party met wind at Ten Lakes that made pitching shelters hard.
From SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls and Backpacking Light
A lightweight bag you can sleep on top of
Pate Valley stayed warm at night near 4,500 feet, and two hikers slept in the open without a shelter. A cooler 55 to 40 F range was the June 2012 night temperature range.
From Backpacking Light
Fishing line for river breaks
One hiker fished during a break while hiking up the canyon, and the trail hugs the river for most of the day.
From Backpacking Light
15 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Waterwheel Falls
Warm gloves and a balaclava
One June 2012 hiker said that in a trip pared down on purpose, the only things left unused were warm clothes, extra toilet paper and a first aid and repair kit. He also finished with about a pound of food left, having eaten around 1.7 pounds a day.
From Backpacking Light
Going up the canyon in a heat wave
The September party writes that this is the one thing to avoid, and the rattlesnakes were out as well. A big snake lay across the trail less than a mile above Pate Valley.
From SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls
Trusting that the day will be short
The 2019 hiker, already five miles from the car and worried about the sky, chose not to go the extra three miles and 900 feet to Waterwheel Falls. A June 2012 party reached Glen Aulin about 7:00 p.m. after leaving Pate Valley.
From Ted's Outdoor World and Backpacking Light
A camp in the busiest zone
Glen Aulin was the most crowded stretch of the 2012 loop, though the party still found a secluded spot with little effort.
From Backpacking Light
Gear questions for Waterwheel Falls
Which permit do you need to camp near Waterwheel Falls?
The park lists a pass-through trailhead named Glen Aulin to Cold Canyon/Waterwheel for hikers who camp past Glen Aulin on the first night. The regular Glen Aulin trailhead is for camping in the Glen Aulin camp.
How far is Waterwheel Falls from California Falls?
A 2019 day hiker standing at the top of California Falls counted three more miles and an additional 900 feet of descent to Waterwheel Falls, and decided not to go on that day.
From Ted's Outdoor World
Do you need a bear canister near Waterwheel Falls?
Yes. The park requires an allowed canister for food and scented items in all of the Yosemite wilderness. Lockers exist only beside the five High Sierra Camps and can be full, so a camp down the canyon relies on your canister.
From Yosemite National Park (NPS): Wilderness Regulations and Yosemite National Park (NPS): Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking
Are there rattlesnakes near Waterwheel Falls?
Hikers saw them near Pate Valley, farther down the canyon than the falls. One party met a large rattlesnake across the trail less than a mile above Pate Valley and another saw a scorpion near dinner, so look before you sit or step off the trail.
From SoCal Hiker: Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls and Backpacking Light
Are campfires allowed near Waterwheel Falls?
Only in existing rings below 9,600 feet, at least 100 feet from water and trail, with the fire attended. Inside a High Sierra Camp campground, fires are allowed only in the communal rings provided.
Sources
- Wilderness Regulations · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Bears & Food Storage While Backpacking · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Trailhead Information · Yosemite National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, returning through 10 Lakes Basin · Backpacking Light · Forum thread
- Day Two: Upper Pate Valley to Waterwheel Falls · SoCal Hiker, Greg Glass · Blog
- Day Three: Waterwheel Falls to May Lake / Ten Lakes Trail Junction · SoCal Hiker, Greg Glass · Blog
- California Falls, Yosemite NP · Ted's Outdoor World · Blog